First Things First: Internet Relay Chat Openings · 1 2 3 You have free access to this content...

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You have free access to this content

First Things First Internet Relay Chat Openings1 E Sean Rintel12 Joan Mulholland23 Jeffery Pittam3

Article first published online 23 JUN 2006

DOI 101111j1083-61012001tb00125x

Issue

Journal of Computer-Mediated CommunicationVolume 6 Issue 3 (doi101111jcmc20016issue-3issuetoc) page 0 April 2001

Additional Information

How to Cite

Rintel E S Mulholland J and Pittam J (2001) First Things First Internet Relay Chat Openings Journal ofComputer-Mediated Communication 6 0 doi 101111j1083-61012001tb00125x

Author Information

PhD candidate at the University at Albany State University of New York This article stems fromhis research MA completed at The University of Queensland in April 2000 His research interestsinclude the management of social interaction in CMC systems the links between CMC research anddesign and the processes of interpersonal networking

Reader in the Department of English at The University of Queensland She is the author of TheLanguage of Negotiation and the Handbook of Persuasive Tactics Her research interests includetextual practices in print media and in fiction language and society womens writings persuasivelanguage representations of talk professional discourses popular culture media representations andbusiness discourse

Reader in Communication Studies in the Department of English at The University of QueenslandAuthor of Voice in Social Interaction he has researched social identity and the voice cross-culturalcommunication social identity and language language attitudes stereotyping media representations ofethnic groups and language and AIDS

Address Communication Department University at Albany State University of New York Albany NYUSA 12222 Telephone +1-528-442-4871 Fax +1-528-442-3884 Email er8430albanyedu(mailtoer8430albanyedu)Address Department of English The University of Queensland Brisbane Australia 4072 Telephone +61-7-3365-2167 Fax +61-7-3365-2799 Email jmulhollandmailboxuqeduau(mailtojmulhollandmailboxuqeduau)Address Department of English The University of Queensland Brisbane Australia 4072 Telephone +61-7-3365-1445 Fax +61-7-3365-2799 Email jpittammailboxuqeduau(mailtojpittammailboxuqeduau)

Publication History

1 Issue published online 23 JUN 20062 Article first published online 23 JUN 2006

Abstract (doi101111j1083-61012001tb00125xabstract)ArticleReferences (doi101111j1083-61012001tb00125xreferences)Cited By (doi101111j1083-61012001tb00125xcitedby)

Abstract1 Top of page2 Abstract3 Introduction4 Previous research on IRC openings5 Data and Methodology6 Analysis7 Conclusion8 Acknowledgments9 References

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was the Internets first widely popular quasi-synchronous computer-mediatedcommunication (CMC) system While research has consistently demonstrated the interpersonal nature ofIRC and is now turning to more structurally-oriented topics it is argued that IRC research now needs tosystematically address links between interaction structures technological mediation and the instantiationand development of interpersonal relationships within a framework that privileges IRC interaction andsocial explanations This exploration of the openings of IRC interactions is positioned as a step in thatdirection The openings investigated in the study are those that occur directly following users entries intopublic IRC channels termed the newly-joined users Channel Entry Phase (CEP) It is found that turncoordination in the CEP is often ambiguous has the potential to disrupt relationship development andleads to considerable emphasis on interactive strategies for the clear ordering of opening phases

Introduction

1 Top of page2 Abstract3 Introduction4 Previous research on IRC openings5 Data and Methodology6 Analysis7 Conclusion8 Acknowledgments9 References

This study explores how users open dyadic interpersonal interactions on Internet Relay Chat (IRC) one of theoldest most popular and most-researched of the Internet computer-mediated communication (ICMC)(December 1996) systems IRCs popularity for both users and researchers stems primarily from the fact thatalthough it is a written medium the real-time quasi-synchronous (Garcia amp Jacobs 1999) transmission ofutterances between users gives IRC a very face-to-face (FTF) conversational feel (Reid 1991 Werry 1996Newhagen and Rafaeli 1996) In ten years of IRC research it has become virtually axiomatic to link IRCsconversational feel to findings of interpersonal artifacts on the medium and thus characterize the interactionon the medium as interpersonal (Reid 1991 Werry 1996 Bechar-Israeli 1996 Rodino 1998 DanetRuedenberg-Wright and Rosenbaum-Tamari 1998) Given the consistency of these findings it is notsurprising that recent IRC research has moved away from the question of how IRC is used as an interpersonalmedium turning instead to investigations of the modification of FTF interaction structures such as turn-taking(Herring 1999 Garcia amp Jacobs 1999) or linguistic variation (Paolillo 1999) However while research up tothis point has successfully demonstrated how the highly mediated interaction environment of IRC effectseither interpersonal artifacts or interaction structures we still do not have comprehensive knowledge of howinterpersonal relationships are developed in IRC - how the relationships of users progress from nothing tosomething through mediated typography If we are to develop such theories IRC research needs to moresystematically address the links between technological mediation artifacts of interpersonal relationships andinteraction structures and do so within a framework that privileges IRC interaction and social explanationsThis study focusing on the openings of IRC interactions is positioned as a step in that direction

As befits their nature openings are an excellent starting point for investigating how interaction on IRCfunctions to instantiate and develop interpersonal relationships Every interaction must have an opening andif as Tannen argues relationships may be conceived of as a series of interactions (Tannen 1990 from Buttny1998 48) what happens first as an interactive move in both initial and subsequent meetings will be critical tothe establishment and maintenance of any given relationship It thus follows that the investigation ofinteraction structures in IRC openings - particularly the interplay of phatic tokens (Laver 1975 1981) andprogression mechanisms (Schegloff 1968 1986) - should provide useful clues as to how users begin todevelop interpersonal relationships Although openings may occur throughout an IRC session this study

1

concentrates on the most prevalent site of IRC openings when users enter the interaction territory of a publicIRC channel and are first able to engage in initiatory behavior We term this the Channel Entry Phase (CEP)Turn coordination in the CEP is found to be ambiguous potentially disruptive to relationship developmentleading users to emphasize strategies for the clear ordering of opening phatic communion

Previous research on IRC openings


Since the first interpersonal IRC research was published in 1991 (Reid) openings have received sparseattention and are usually dealt with as incidental to interpersonal strategies in the medial phase of interactionThe few accounts that exist are usually limited to the descriptive for example there is no explanatorydevelopment of the uses of the IRC-specific abbreviation lsquorersquo short for lsquohello againrsquo in the six yearsseparating Vincent (1992) and Doell (1998) Similarly although both Werry (1996) and Doell (1998) foundevidence of the opening routine of users joining a public channel and collectively greeting the existing channelmembers only Werry goes on to argue that this is an exception to fiercely competitive medial phase attention-getting strategies such as the high degree of addressivity (1996 53) - and Werry does not explain how thisexception may occur or why it is a viable opening strategy

Dealt with more thoroughly in the IRC research are the effects of the self-determined user names (calledlsquonicksrsquo) on interaction The research is quite consistent in finding users to be very sensitive to the nick choicesof others as impression-making devices an implication critical to the opening phases of IRC (Bechar-Israeli1996 Rodino 1998 Danet Ruedenberg-Wright and Rosenbaum-Tamari 1998) While drawing attention tosome of the details of opening behaviors the IRC literature lacks detailed investigation of the links betweenthe critical processes of turn-progression (and coordination) and linguistic tokens of phatic communionSpecifically there has been little examination of the formal and functional distinctions of greeting behaviors(including nick choices and responses to them) and their place in early interaction coordination One exceptionis Rintel and Pittams (1997) account of the basic IRC opening phase stages and choices based on researchinto prototypical FTF and telephone opening phases (Laver 1975 amp 1981 Kendon amp Ferber 1973 Schiffrin1977 Schegloff 1979 McLaughlin 1987 Aringstroumlm 1994) The account is as follows (modified layout of Rintelamp Pittam 1997 527ndash528)

Server announces presence of newly-joined user to all public channel participants

2 Exchange of ExploratoryInitiatory Linguistic Tokens - repeat as necessary a) lsquoBlindrsquotraditional mass greeting token to all users OR traditional token to individual users (Followedby other phatic communion OR the use of another strategy) OR b) Statements OR Questions(Interaction may follow with or without overt phatic tokens)

3 Textualized exchange of conventional nonverbal contact gestures of greeting (as appropriateto relationship) - (may not occur)

4 Transition signals for moving to the medial phase

Rintel and Pittams qualitative analysis of IRC openings demonstrated that sequence is important to users andemphasized the fluidity of stages intra-stage choice (Stage 2) and the choice to leave out stages (Stages 3 and4) The account is a useful starting point but its breadth and fluidity - signaled particularly by the numerousbranching points in Stage 2 - demonstrates a need for closer examination of the progression from entry to atleast one coordinated opening exchange The unit defined and explored in this study the Channel Entry Phase(CEP) is a detailed redefinition of Stages 1 and 2 of Rintel and Pittams account with considerable power forboth exploring how opening phatic elements are negotiated to initiate ongoing interaction and explaining thefluidity of the earlier account

Data and Methodology


In common with most IRC research this study examined logs of IRC interactions using qualitativeConversation Analysis-informed Discourse Analysis The approaches to data-collection and analysis used inthis study are outlined below

The raw data consisted of ten logs of IRC interactions in public IRC channels (public and private interactionare discussed shortly) Two IRC clients (programs) were used during the logging process the ircII (theoriginal UNIX IRC client) and mIRC (perhaps the most popular Windows IRC client) Recent IRC clientssuch as mIRC and pIRCh display user interaction somewhat differently to ircII client the main differencebeing that mIRC and pIRCh redirect server output to a separate window hiding much of the very technicalaspects of IRC However server announcements of entrances and exits occur in the primary interactiondisplay of all IRC clients differing only slightly in form Thus the results of this study are reasonablygeneralizable for users of IRC clients

Two public channels (australia and penpals) were each logged for a one and a half hour period five out ofseven days per week for two weeks At the time of logging both channels supported substantial levels ofinteraction and were as permanent as IRC channels can be Neither channel had any apparent fixed agendasor topics nor any explicit policy of inclusion or exclusion except for a loosely implied (and only aperiodically

enforced) English language requirement All nicks have been changed with researcher-invented analogiesclose to the lsquospiritrsquo of the original nick and preserving capitalization and punctuation All addresses in[SERVER] lines and other identifying concepts in the content of utterances have been anonymized

The logs for this study were taken from a single computer which we term lsquosingle pointrsquo logs Single pointlogs are at present the only practical way of capturing public channel IRC interactions in the field Common tomost IRC research public channel single point logs show the interaction processes in a way that closelyresembles the interactions in which the users themselves are engaged Indeed by analogy with Reed andAshmores (2000) support for the CA of Internet newsgroup interaction it is arguable that in a written mediumsuch as IRC the representations on screen provide largely the same representations of lsquorelationshipsrsquo toresearchers as they do to users However Garcia and Jacobs (1999) disagree with the use of single point logsinstead preferring to set up experimental quasi-synchronous CMC systems in a video-and-audio recording-equipped laboratory In so doing they are able to capture the interaction processes of all interactants in theirsystem and include video and audio evidence of behaviors which are not transmitted by the CMC system(1999 341ndash42) There is a case for their more detailed multi-part logs because they capture a great deal moreof the message production editing and transmission information than single point logs but there are someimportant counter-arguments Apart from the fact that single point logs are at present the only practical way ofcapturing field IRC data Garcia and Jacobs data is confined to the interactions which can occur in alaboratory and this data is very removed from the usual interactional experience of users themselves WaltherAnderson and Park (1994) indicate in their overview of CMC research that one of the reasons for the initialfindings of CMC systems as asocial was the result of the laboratory setting (which affected the time for andthe inclination of users to develop interpersonal relationships) IRC research needs to examine precisely howinterpersonal interaction can and does occur despite heavy mediation so the contextual interest provided bythe laboratory is somewhat offset by the possibility for reading-in knowledge to which normal users simply donot have access Garcia and Jacobs system has merit for a strict CA-based description of interactionstructures but when the goal of research is to determine the outcome of mediation on interpersonalrelationship development single point logs of field data provide both adequate and naturalistic transcripts

That being said single point logs do have a drawback which should be addressed IRC allows users to holdmultiple public and private interactions with users potentially switching between public and private modes foranything between one word and an entire interaction Thus logging public IRC channels does not guarantee acomplete record of all of the interactions that might be occurring How then are researchers to get hold ofrepresentative data and how generalizable are analyses of public channel data Let us deal with each of thesequestions in turn

Gathering representative data presents major problems both ethical and technical It is not ethically defensibleto collect private channel data without participant consent but to collect private channel data of informedparticipants violates the principle of studying naturally occurring data Furthermore as ethical concerns inresearch become increasingly important it should be noted that ethical consent for this project was obtainedonly (a) for public channel logging and (b) on the basis that the participants would be anonymized Howevereven if the ethical problems could be solved gathering a lsquocompletersquo record of all the interactions undertakenby IRC users would be virtually impossible Assuming that one is using a public IRC network (rather than alimited experimental network) and taking as a base speech community those users who logged on to a public

channel the researcher would have to collect time-stamped logs of every interaction that appeared on everyusers client That is every user would have to voluntarily log all interactions and provide them to theresearcher as the distributed nature of the IRC system means that there is no centralized server to provide acomplete record of every user The researcher would then have to temporally and spatially collate every logprivate and public Finding a reasonable solution to the problems of data scale will be an ongoing project ofCMC research For the current project it was decided that since there is little information about naturallyoccurring IRC openings a detailed description of openings in public channels provides a good starting pointfor coming to grips with both the phenomena in question and the methodological processes required

The publicprivate channel logging issue is a very problematic one for researchers of naturally occurring dataas there is no way to conclusively prove that users do not switch back and forth between public and privatemodes For this study we concentrated on openings that were obviously or explicitly lsquosuccessfulrsquo (in the senseof leading to ongoing public interactions that made sense) or lsquounsuccessfulrsquo (users who disappeared from thepublic channel very quickly or complained about a lack of interaction) Private interactions were not andcould not be part of this study and as such could have openings different from those in the public channelsFuture research will need to address more subtle events private interactions and the links between public andprivate interactions This study is reasonably generalizable for openings that occur in public channelinteraction in channels without particular agendas

Most analysis of IRC interaction is qualitative and ethnomethodological and this study follows in thattradition Rather than attempting rigorous sampling or statistical analysis of patterns in scale (although we domake some basic generalizations about user orientations and how common we found strategies to be in theseparticular channels) this type of analysis focuses on the detailed explanation of social processes Indeed sinceIRC socialization takes places completely within a textual realm most IRC research uses variations onConversation Analysis (Sacks 1992 Psathas 1995 Edwards 1997) to provide in-depth explication of textualstructures and strategies The aim of qualitative analysis is not to measure for the sake of defining scale orpredicting success or failure but to describe the links between language and social interaction Crucial to thisanalysis is a twin focus on what structures make up openings and then the interpersonal ramifications ofdiscursive choices within those structures These are not factors that are easily quantified nor are they factorsthat are better represented by a large sample of repeated observations rather it is the richness of the individualcases which is most interesting As such ten logs of two public IRC channels provides more than enoughmaterial to be covered in detail and a reasonable sample of strategies

The method used to analyze the IRC logs in this study is perhaps best described as Conversation Analysis-informed Discourse Analysis as it differs somewhat from what might be termed lsquoclassicalrsquo ConversationAnalysis While classical Conversation Analysis concentrates on the investigation of talk-in-interaction (egSacks Schegloff amp Jefferson 1974) this study focuses on producing descriptions of social action throughinvestigating the interrelation of interaction and technology Thus there is a broadening of analytical scope thatmanifests itself in two ways First we emphasize explanations that are more explicitly social than structuralakin to approaches discussed by Fairclough (1995) Tracy (1995) and Wood and Kroger (2000)Synthesizing Schegloffs (1968 1986) talk-in-interaction structural approach with Lavers (1975 1981)relationship-oriented approach to phatic communion we take the position that the textual signs of prosocialconnection in interactions may be discussed as representations of the state of interpersonal relationships

Second we emphasize the interrelationship between technology and interaction privileging description of theways in which social actions are instantiated on IRC This is not to eliminate a tradition in IRC research ofcomparison and contrast with FTF interaction rather to emphasize that any analysis of interaction in CMCsystems must completely take into account the technology of the system explaining not just how mediationeffects but in fact affects the interaction since the lsquointeractionrsquo consists of the combination of human andcomputer-produced utterance and transmission While the latter idea is not new to CMC researchers it isstressed that good description of CMC interaction should avoid description that posits FTF interaction as alsquogold standardrsquo and equally technological determinism that de-emphasizes the description of humans solvinghuman problems

Analysis


Public IRC channels contain massive numbers of opening utterances In the 69 lines of Example 1 there are22 potential opening dyads recognizable through 25 lines containing greeting tokens and a further 14 linescontaining recognizable opening artifacts The logged channels ran 24 hoursday seven daysweek so thisexample does not represent the lsquobeginningrsquo of an interaction period in which large numbers of openingswould be expected rather it is lsquomedialrsquo in the log and in the channel

Example 1

Event Order Interaction

B1 1 [StinGer] vp to whom

B2 2 [bourbon] wizz i here

B3 3 [CestLV] mayhem oh it ishellipit ishellipbut i wouldnt open ithellipit just might explode

T A4 4 [lion] hi everyone

T A5 5 [Stinger] hey angie

A6 6 [AJ] strawb My computer is hanging wait

T (B5)A7 7 [Angie] Hey everyone

T A8 8 [cookie] hi lion

9 [SERVER] AJ has quit IRC Leaving

T B7A9 10 [WiseOne] Angie is back

T B10 11 [ACTION] mayhem kneels and says hi back to vp_man

12 [SERVER] vp_man has quit IRC Leaving

T A11 13 [walker] Hey Jfonda

T B4A12 14 [strawb] hello lion

(A8) 15 [ACTION] cookie thins the cafeteria food is getting worse

T B5 16 [Angie] Stinger hello

17 [Zool-MODE] Has changed Cinches mode to +o

B8A8 18 [lion] how goes it cookie

T B12 19 [Lion] hello strawb

20 [SERVER] kwestxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

21 [SERVER] rubyxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

22 [SERVER] Fleetxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

T A13 23 [kwest] evening all

T B7A14 24 [strawb] hello Angie

T B9 25 [Angie] wise hello

A5 26 [Stinger] angie where ya from

27 [Cinche] Down nope hellip

28 [SERVER] christian xxxxxxxxxx has joined thischannel

B8 29 [cookie] lion pretty well except for th fact that uni starged

30 [SERVER] IP_ xxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

A12 31 [strawb] where are u lion

T B14A14 32 [Angie] strawb hello how are you

33 [SERVER] kwest has left this channel

34 [SERVER] walker has left this channel

T A15 35 [ACTION] Christian hi ALL

T A16 36 [IP_] hi all

T B16A17 37 [strawb] hello Yo

B5A5 38 [Angie] Stinger [PlaceName1] you

39 [SERVER] Nordxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

40 [SERVER] cowboyxxxxxxxxxx has joined thischannel

(B8)A8 41 [Lion] cookie what

T B16A18 42 [OuchIe] re IP_

43 [bourbon] this is bad


B14(A14) 45 [strawb] Angie Im fine

T A19 46 [Angie] Cowboy hello

B12 47 [Lion] Im in [PlaceName2]

48 [ACTION] Down giggles at Cinchehellip

T B17 49 [IP_] strawb hi

B8A8 50 [Cookie] lion nothingforget what i just saidhow are u

A14 51 [strawb] Angie where are u from

B5A5 52 [Stinger] angie Im from [PlaceName3]hellipyou a student

(B14) 53 [Angie] strawb thats good

54 [OuchIe] Bourbon did you get my msg


B8 55 [lion] Im doing just fine

T B18() 56 [IP_] OuchIe nice nick

57 [SERVER] bourbon has left this channel

58 [SERVER] cultxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

59 [SERVER] walkerxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

60 [SERVER] dannyxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

T A19 61 [cowboy] hello hitbox

T A20 62 [Cowboy] hello everybody

63 [SERVER] Nord has left this channel

64 [SERVER] puterxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

B14 65 [Angie] strawb [PlaceName4]

66 [ScaNNer-MODE] Has changed Cinches mode to -o

67 [kwest] ruby thought everyone had gone to sleep

T B20A21 68 [Fleet] cowboyhello

T A22 69 [Cowboy] hello hobohellip

Perhaps more important than the sheer number of openings in the example above is the prevalence ofalternating sequences (marked as ABAB) The need for entry coordination stems from the empiricalobservations of talk-in-interaction that find that speakers alternate turns (Schegloff 1968 Sacks Schegloff andJefferson 1974) As Schegloff argues ldquoconversational sequence can be described by the formula abababwhere lsquoarsquo and lsquobrsquo are the parties to the interactionrdquo (emphasis as published 1968 1076) Schegloff goes on topoint out that while the ABAB formula describes two party conversation that is already underway it does notprovide for the allocation of the A and B roles The first speaker of the convention is not readily determinedThus while the ABAB formula ldquomakes each successive turn sequentially dependent on the previous one itprovides no resources when who the first speaker might be is treated problematicallyrdquo (Schegloff 1968 1986)Telephone openings are processes of negotiating alternation when turn-taking roles are unclear due to narrowbandwidth and potentially unclear intimacy status This is very similar to the context of IRC use thus it isworthwhile re-presenting Schegloffs argument using IRC data Let us start with the alternation of speakers

To demonstrate the alternation of speakers in telephone openings Schegloff presents four representativeinteractions comprised of several nearly identical turns (1968 115) We can see related levels of similaritybetween dyadic openings in IRC by extracting three interactions from Example 1 as Examples 2 3 and 4Interactant alternation is marked as A and B collective address is marked as C and individual address as IAlso marked are question (Q) and answer (Ans) pairs and statement (S) and response (R) pairs Examples 23 and 4 each contain a collectively addressed greeting and the exchange of individually addressed greetingtokens and it is in these latter exchanges that dyadic interaction is being initiated Collective greeting displaysorientation to the group nature of the medium but it is not itself a dyadic initiator unless taken up - as in a Bresponse to an A initiation - by an existing public channel member Examples 2 and 3 also show that to ratifya dyad greetings generally follow the matching convention for adjacency-pair greetings found in FTFinteraction (Edmondson 1981 83 Braun 1998 23ndash25) so for Example strawbs ldquohellordquo is matched by lionin Example 3 The serial nature of IRCs display leads to minor discrepancies in order (Reid 1991 Herring1999) but this does not appear to cause interactional problems as long as the individual greeting is returned atsome nearby point This occurs in Example 4 when Angie appears to produce a collective greeting (7) after anindividual greeting from Stinger (5) While the individual greeting response (16) is not lsquoadjacentrsquo theinteraction - and alternation - continues without reference or repair

Example 2


C A 7 [Angie] Hey everyone

I BA 24 [strawb] hello Angie

CQ BA 32 [Angie] strawb hello how are you

Ans(S) B(A) 45 [strawb] Angie Im fine

Q A 51 [strawb] Angie where are u from

(R) (B) 53 [Angie] strawb thats good

Ans B 65 [Angie] strawb [PlaceName4]

Example 3


C A 4 [lion] hi everyone

I BA 14 [strawb] hello lion

I B 19 [Lion] hello strawb

Q A 31 [strawb] where are u lion

Ans B 47 [Lion] Im in [PlaceName2]

Example 4


I A 5 [Stinger] hey angie

C (B)(A) 7 [Angie] Hey everyone

I B 16 [Angie] Stinger hello

Q A 26 [Stinger] angie where ya from

AnsQ BA 38 [Angie] Stinger [PlaceName1] you

AnsQ BA 52 [Stinger] angie Im from [PlaceName3]You a student

In telephone openings Schegloff found a ritualized progression of core opening sequences after the initialsummons-answer sequences usually individual greeting through identification-recognition followed by lsquohow-are-yoursquo exchanges IRC openings display similar sequences Assuming that ratification of individual greetingoccurred one of two types of question exchanges regularly follow lsquohow-are-yoursquo exchanges (Examples 2and 3) or lsquowhere-are-you-fromrsquo exchanges (Example 4) In longer openings both might occur (Example 2) inwhich case lsquohow-are-yoursquo exchanges usually precede lsquowhere-are-you-fromrsquo exchanges Like lsquohow-are-yoursquoexchanges lsquowhere-are-you-fromrsquo exchanges are question-answer patterns establishing at least one alternationof turns While lsquowhere-are-you-fromrsquo exchanges are not often found in fixed telephone interactions (thoughthey occur increasingly in mobile telephone situations) they are not surprising on IRC given that mostopenings occur between strangers in an environment potentially encompassing global connection Thefunction of lsquowhere-are-you-fromrsquo exchanges then may be quite directly relational - possibly as an uncertaintyreduction strategy (Douglas 1994) If so it may follow that unlike routine lsquohow-are-yoursquo exchanges in whichanswerers may be (more or less) unconcerned about detailed or even lsquotruthfulrsquo content (Sacks 1975 70)lsquowhere-are-you-fromrsquo exchanges may require both detail and truth while also acting to establish the first topic

So in terms of openings that function to begin an interaction Examples 2 3 and 4 demonstrate a partialorientation to normative telephone opening behavior and ABAB sequencing However Example 1 fromwhich Examples 2 3 and 4 were drawn shows that most of the 22 initiations failed to produce responses inthe public channel Situations such as those of kwest (joins in 20 collectively greets the channel in 23 butreceives no responses) and Fleet (joins in 22 does not greet the channel and is not greeted) are more commonin Example 1 than the longer and apparently successful openings of Angie and strawb Angie and stinger and

1

lion and strawb Further each of those examples involved a common person in the dyad reducing theirgeneral applicability Assuming that initiations that do not appear to receive responses are not examples ofusers switching private interaction - which undoubtedly occurs at times - the multiple failed initiations inExample 1 indicate that there may be ambiguity in recognizing that an initiation is requiredbeing attempted bya newly-joined user or that there is scope for existing channel members to ignore an initiation attempt Theprocesses occurring directly at the point of joining a public channel thus bear closer analysis

Structure of IRC openings Channel Entry Phase (CEP)ProgressionsOpenings that occur directly after joining a public channel follow a similar pattern dictated partly by thetransmission system of the medium and partly by the choices of interactants We have termed this pattern theChannel Entry Phase (CEP) In the abstract a CEP consists of an ordered progression of three potentialstages

First an Automated Joining Event (AJE) is produced by the server The AJE of a userconsists of twin mirrored messages from the server The newly-joined user receives a JoiningConfirmation (JC) notice while the existing channel members receive a JoiningAnnouncement (JA) about the newly-joined user

2 Second after receiving a JC the newly-joined user may produce a collectively or individuallyaddressed Joining Initial Behavior (JIB) At the same time as a result of seeing a newly-joinedusers JA an existing channel member may direct a Joining Initial Reaction (JIR) at thenewly-joined user

3 Finally following a JIB an existing channel member may produce a JIB-Response ratifyinginteraction Alternatively in response to a JIR the newly-joined user may ratify interactionwith a JIR-Response

The data show these stages giving rise to six possible CEP Progressions for attempting initiation of dyadicinteraction The Progressions are based on who produces the first behavior whether this behavior iscollectively or individually addressed and who if anyone responds Examples 5 6 7 8 9 and 10 are briefillustrations of the six Progressions Discussion of the links between Progressions and the instantiation anddevelopment of interpersonal relationships will occur throughout the remainder of the article

Table Progression 1ensp AJE gtgtgt JIB (Collective address) [STOP] (No JIB-Response)

Example 5

Event Interaction

AJE 734 [SERVER] woodyxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

JIB 737 [woody] hey all

STOP 758 [SERVER] woody has left this channel

Table Progression 2ensp AJE gtgtgt JIB (Individual address) [STOP] (No JIB-Response)

Example 6

Event Interaction

AJE 254 [SERVER] SaHaRaxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

JIB 255 [Sahara] sup FAR

STOP 312 [SERVER] FARxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

STOP 313 [benny] FAR thank god you are backhellip I MISSED YOU

STOP 319 [FAR] benny =) thanks

STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4

I (Fails) 341 [Sahara] FAR

STOP 397 [SERVER] Sahara has left this channel

Table Progression 3ensp AJE gtgtgt JIR [STOP] (No JIR-Response)


Example 7

Event Interaction

AJE 454 [SERVER] jsmith xxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

JIR 489 [cutebabe] Hi jsmith

STOP 548 [jsmith] hello everyone

STOP 599 [jsmith] so are there just random conversations or what

STOP 636 [SERVER] jsmith has left this channel

Table Progression 4ensp AJE gtgtgt JIB (Collective address) gtgtgt JIB-Response

Example 8

Event Interaction

AJE 30 [SERVER] IP_xxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

JIB (C) 36 [IP_] hi all

JIB-Response 37 [strawb] hello Yo

Table Progression 5ensp AJE gtgtgt JIB (Individual address) gtgtgt JIB-Response

Example 9

Event Interaction

AJE 384 [SERVER] erf xxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

JIB (I) 390 [IP_] hey erf

JIB-Response 407 [erf] hey YO

Table Progression 6ensp AJE gtgtgt JIR gtgtgt JIR-Response

Example 10

Event Interaction

AJE 2059 [SERVER] Drippxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

JIR 2064 [MoosE] hi dripp

JIR-Response 2065 [Dripp] moose hi

The data also shows that CEPs do not occur in either chronological or spatial isolation Since IRC is a groupmedium the CEP of a single user often involves multiple opening Progressions (a situation that does not occurin (most) FTF or telephone interactions) A newly-joined user may produceexperience any one or acombination of the CEP Progressions above as the following Examples demonstrate Again these are briefillustrations and discussion of the interpersonal ramifications will follow in later sections

Table 7 Multiple Progression AJE gtgtgt JIR-1 [STOP] (No JIR-Response)Example 1 AJE gtgtgt JIR-2 gtgtgt JIR-2-Response

Example 11

Event Interaction

AJE 850 [SERVER] TOMARxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

JIR-1 852 [iron] TOMARRRRRRR

JIR-2 855 [Acus] TOMAR

JIR-2-Response 864 [TOMAR] acus

Table 8 Multiple Progression AJE gtgtgt JIB-1 [STOP] (No JIB-Response)Example 2 AJE gtgtgt JIB-2 [STOP] (No JIB-Response)AJE gtgtgt JIB-3 [STOP] (NoJIB-Response)AJE gtgtgt JIR-1 [STOP] (No JIR-Response)

Example 12

Event Interaction

AJE 318 [SERVER] nowayxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

JIB 1 319 [noway] piemannnnnnnnnnnnn


JIB 2 320 [noway] clare_________

JIB 3 322 [noway] bubbllllllllllll

JIR 1 323 [Lakerboy] NOWAY

X 324 [SERVER] noway has left this channel

Like telephone interactions all CEP openings on IRC begin with an automated component but as theProgressions above demonstrate there is significant sequential variability There is no clear logic to who takesthe A and B positions in alternation so both newly-joined users and existing public channel members mayinitiate interaction and newly-joined users may attempt both collective and individually addressed initiationsThe obvious problem with sequential ambiguity is the possibility that one may not be addressed or answeredThe problem of IRC openings on public channels then appears to be linked to the fact that IRCs automatedcomponent does not provide the same useful structural resource for openings that the ring does for telephoneinteractions

The Automated Joining Event (AJE)That the first moment in users CEP is automated is not in and of itself the necessary cause of the sequentialambiguity in IRC openings People are quite used to the automated ring of the telephone Then again mereautomation is not in and of itself an indicator of functional similarity so more detailed comparison isnecessary

The AJE has several similarities to the telephone ring Both are produced as a result of a conscious action ofone interactant and their structure and lsquocontentrsquo are dictated and produced by the medium Further bothconsist of twin mirrored components The ring heard by the caller and the JC of a newly-joined user bothprovide feedback about the attempted connection but the feedback is not evidence of connection to anotherperson The ring heard by the answerer and the JA to the existing public channel members both signal onlythat interaction is possible not that it has begun However while both automated events function asnotification devices about potential interaction the similarities between the AJE and telephone ring areoutweighed by their differences Both components of the AJE are verbal while the telephone rings aremechanized alarms The upshot is that the name of a newly-joined user is known while the name of a phonecaller is unknown (this is the general situation at present though the advances in phone technology sinceSchegloffs research now enable the callers number and sometimes name to be available to the recipient) Asit turns out that difference significantly changes the role of the automated components in initiation anddirection

As discussed above the telephone ring is a crucial coordination feature in telephone openings it acts as asummons which has an answer as a conditionally relevant response and has the condition of non-terminality(1968 1972 1986) That is the ring sets up ABAB sequencing in two stages It acts as an initiatory cue an

A which requires a response B However the automated A is not itself communicative beyond itssummoning power and it does not provide identity or goal information about the caller for the receiver Thusthe B response is also an A in the sense of being the first human step in the dyadic interaction Several ABpairs may then follow to negotiate lsquogreetingrsquo and lsquoidentificationrsquo Importantly the A summons also impliesthat the producer of the A has a reason for summoning the B respondent It is this implication that causes thering to require a response and thereafter requires that the caller carry on producing turns related to the reasonfor calling and that the receiver respond As a summons therefore the ring sets up a condition of non-terminality at least until the reason for the call has been dealt with in some way

An AJE on the other hand is a broadcast nonspecific notification of the possibility of interaction Further itis broadcast to a transient population composed of known (sometimes) and unknown people The telephonering heard by a caller is the result of a conscious decision to call a particular known person or institution ie isa summons directed at a specific target defined by an assigned phone number In both public channels thecaller receives (verbal or mechanical) feedback of the success (or otherwise) of the attempted connectionThus the key difference is that telephone callers (in general) have more information about the likely identity ofthe recipient and the success of the connection and the upshot of these differences is that an answer isconditionally relevant to the summons of a telephone ring but is not conditionally relevant to the broadcastAJE

The slight differences in the JC and JA components of the AJE mean that newly-joined users and existingpublic channel members also begin with very different perceptions of potential interaction structure

The Joining Confirmation (JC) and newly-joined usersFor a newly-joined user the verbal nature of the JC is significant primarily because the collective referenceimplicit in the reference to the interaction environment immediately orients the newly-joined user to the groupsetting

Example 13

Event Interaction

AJE-JC [SERVER] You have joined Australia

Critically although the JC signals that interaction is possible and thus in Lavers (1975 221) terms performspart of the initiatory function of an opening it does not in and of itself ratify either the attention levels theavailability or the desire of others to interact with the newly-joined user Unlike a telephone ring the JC is notdirected at a particular class of interactant nor can it indicate whether others are busy or potentially availableas can be determined from differing telephone ring tones The JC also provides few clues as to what should bedone after its conclusion - unlike the phone it does not provide the clear indication of lsquoansweredrsquo lsquobusyrsquo orlsquonot answeredrsquo ldquoYou have joined [channel-name]rdquo is not the feedback of a directed summons that wouldnormatively require an answer by a specific individual (or category of individual) it does not require the user

to produce a greeting on the basis that the class of interactant that they chose to call is now available and areexpecting to be greeted to begin identification-recognition The JC thus provides no ldquoconditional relevancerdquo(Schegloff 1968 1083) for the newly-joined user to address any individual existing public channel memberSimilarly the newly-joined user knows that the JC is automated and self-directed not a human-produced andinterlocutor-directed token of initiation propitiation or exploration so it signals that human interaction cannow occur but does not conclusively produce an expectation of action

Those points being made the JC notifies newly-joined users that they have intruded upon the interactionterritory of a group of others While the lsquoterritoryrsquo here is spatially tenuous in an environment where verbalinteraction is all that is possible it is reasonable to assume that there are boundary conditions for theproduction of new verbal behaviors For Example the JC may provide a weak lsquonecessityrsquo for newly-joinedusers to produce an propitiatory utterance to allay the problems of territorial intrusion (Laver 1975 226) TheJC as a user-directed notice is not itself propitiatory but it may alert the user to the need for propitiationNewly-joined users know they are operating in a medium geared primarily towards interaction and thatjoining a public channel is an implicit statement of public presence and possibly a request for an invitation tointeract The closest the JC comes to having lsquoconditional relevancersquo then is an implicit invitation for thenewly-joined user to address the group Following a JC with any form of address however is not asummons-answer sequence since both moves are produced by the newly-joined user (AA)

The lack of directionality from the JC allows both woody (in Example 5) and jsmith (in Example 7) to deploycollectively addressed greetings produced perhaps to allay feelings of territorial invasion However in thesame situation Sahara (Example 6) erf (Example 9) and noway (Example 12) produce individually addressedgreetings Further as Examples 7 11 and 12 demonstrate even when newly-joined users received responsesto a greeting the lack of ongoing response indicates that the JC does not clearly set up non-terminality(Schegloff 1968 1081) - a precondition to an ongoing interaction and hence the potential for an ongoingrelationship

From this variability we may argue that while newly-joined users with high expectations of interaction mayexpect their signaled entry to provoke a response the AJE itself does not provide a clear indication of what isexpected from whom The most common response to this ambiguity is a lack of response which may in turnlead to significant frustration of the relational process Interestingly users may be somewhat aware of theproblems of ambiguity as indicated by jsmiths ldquoso are there just random conversations or whatrdquo (Example 7599) jsmiths comment is interesting in its recognition of the problem of randomness of interactional movesand perhaps indicates a questioning of what counts as a lsquofirst thingrsquo in IRC openings

The Joining Announcement (JA) and existing channelmembersLike the JC the JA provides few clear indicators for either the production of JIRs by existing public channelmembers or the expectation of JIBs from newly-joined users

Example 14

Event Interaction

AJE-JA 734 [SERVER] woodyxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

Arguably the lack of a directed individual address in a JA implicitly sets up or perhaps does not explicitlyexclude the possibility that all or any of existing public channel members may address the newly-joined useras occurred in Examples 7 9 10 11 and 12 However unlike an answer to a summons production of a JIRis a matter of choice The JA provides only the knowledge that someone has joined a public forum of theirown free will and not at the behest of any one or a group of existing channel members It follows then thatthe JA is not the first half of a to-be-finished summons-answer exchange and thus does not normativelyrequire a response If this were the case the data set would have been ludicrously unbalanced with greetingsas every JA would have to have been followed by a greeting from every channel member leaving little roomfor any further interaction Such a rigid summons-answer situation is clearly an untenable option in a groupmedium It should also be noted that because the JA is an automated notification it is significantly differentfrom the FTF introduction of a third party who is present by one person present to a group Here theintroduction carries some answer obligation on the basis that the introduced person has been deliberatelybrought into interactional proximity by another human for social purposes

Even without a response to every JA the data show a high level of initiation attempts in contrast with ongoinginteractions suggesting a lsquomachine-gunrsquo approach to openings - greet enough people and someone willeventually respond Without clear indications for the need to respond at all or continue to respond after aninitial greeting chance then is an active constraint of the medium on the possibility of forming interpersonalrelationships That being said IRC is clearly a popular medium indicating that users may positively regard thechance involved as lsquoserendipityrsquo rather than as lsquoriskrsquo

Not only does the JA lack answer-obligation for existing public channel members but Examples 7 11 and 12also reveal that a JA is not necessarily indicative of a newly-joined users desire to move past greeting withany existing channel members as there are many instances of users exiting the channel at the end of greetingexchange It may be weakly indicative of the general contextual expectations that users who are on a publicchannel are primarily geared to chat and perhaps that a newly-joined user is lsquoready nowrsquo but this is quitetenuous The JA is then initiatory in the sense of a basic signal of presence but it does not ratify thebeginning of dyadic interaction

Despite the quite comprehensive weaknesses in terms of response provision the JA unlike a phone ringprovides existing public channel members with two pieces of identity information about a newly-joined user anick and a server address This information provision makes JAs into direct interactional resources if asExamples 7 9 10 11 and 12 illustrate existing channel members so choose Telephone users on the otherhand must go through an explicit verbal identificationrecognition phase after the ring to gain similarinformation (Schegloff 1986 125ndash129 Hopper amp Drummond 1992 190) Existing IRC channel memberswhile not necessarily expected to do anything or expecting anything to occur may immediately makejudgments about whether they will produce JIRs or respond to JIBs even without having seen utterances from

newly-joined users Newly-joined users cannot make the same judgments based on their JC although once inthe channel they will see a list of existing channel members which then gives them similar optionsNevertheless as JAs appear on screen existing channel members have an advantage over newly-joined usersin that they are immediately made aware of new users one at a time rather than having to read through a list

Naturally if one cannot raise the attention of an interlocutor relationship development will simply beimpossible Initiationpropitiation must be ratified by an interlocutor but in the crowded and transientinteraction environments of IRC this can be very difficult In the data fully one-third of the users in the logsjoined and left without producing any utterances and the majority of that one-third were not addressed byexisting public channel members Even those users that succeeded appeared to find the task difficultparticularly when unknown to one another Take the case of Nasa and Clown in Example 15 Judging bytheir questions NASA and Clown are both inexperienced non-regular users who appear to know neithereach other nor anyone else on the channel

Example 15

Interaction

1987 [SERVER] NASAxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

1988 [ACTION] NASA - hi to everyone

2040 [SERVER] Clownxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

2044 [ACTION] NASA - is here anyone who would like to talk with me

2089 [Clown] hello there everyone

2099 [Clown] Hello

2107 [Clown] Be sociable

2111 [ACTION] NASA - talk to me too

2120 [Clown] NASA hello

2131 [NASA] Clown-at least one whohellip umm hihellip )

2145 [SERVER] NASA has left this channel

2148 [Clown] NASA hi whats going down

Apart from the fact that NASA uses an action command format (1988) their greetings are very similar bothusing the collective address element ldquoeveryonerdquo (1988 and 2089) Neither user receives responses and bothresort to metalingual strategies and connection checking when this becomes clear (NASA 2044 2111 Clown

2099 2107) The pair eventually find each other (2120 2131) and have a chance at beginning an interactionInterestingly neither party directly relies on the AJE or even the collective greeting of the other as acoordinating device both producing more utterances after receiving no responses The opening essentiallybegins with the pair of individually addressed greetings which follow Nasas ldquoClown - at least one whohellipumm hihellip )rdquo (2131) which starts as an attempt to get Clowns attention (A) but having unexpectedlyreceived a greeting while typing changes to a greeting response (B) (conveniently setting up ABABsequencing) When Clown takes the next turn a third greeting is produced (2148) This third greeting is(strictly) unnecessary now that two individual greetings have been exchanged and that NASA leaves thechannel (2145) without receiving it

However had NASA remained on the channel there is an argument to be made that due to the difficultiesboth users have been experiencing the AB pair ending with NASAs individual greeting response still doesnot signify that interaction has been ratified The third greeting makes sense if Clown is unclear aboutNASAs attention - a justifiable strategy considering that NASA leaves lsquoduringrsquo the opening A small amountof redundancy might aid ratification on IRC Certainly redundant greeting tokens occur frequently in theidentification-recognition phases of Schegloffs telephone data (1986) Since IRC users already lsquorecognizersquoeach other in the sense that they have known each others nicks from the outset there may be a case forarguing that in some IRC interactions a ratification phase might substitute for an identification-recognitionphase Confusion appears to occur primarily because the AJE does not provide clear indication of what isexpected from whom The work of coordination thus appears to begin with the verbal greeting exchangemaking choice of greeting behavior critical

Salutation choice Ramifications for coordination andrelationshipsToken-based ldquoverbal salutesrdquo (Krivonos and Knapp 1977 193) such as lsquohirsquo are generally held to be importantnot for their semantic content but for their exploratory function (Laver 1975 221 1981 298ndash300) andor thepotential social information encoded in token choice and phonetic behavior These tokens are common signalsthat perform the critical functions of attention-getting and availability-establishment (McLaughlin 1987 170ndash176 Schegloff 1968 1090 1986 117ndash118) Salutation by nick particularly the form in which a nick is usedis more semantically rich but performs the same function Perhaps not surprisingly then the choice of token ornick in IRC openings has similar ramifications to those proposed by Laver although the choice emphasizesrelational development more than social class

In individual greetings the use of a greeting token rather than a nick salutation usually indicates that thegreeted user is unknown This is illustrated in Example 16 in which SWAMI attempts openings with wendy(1517) and blotto (1413) both presumably unknown to SWAMI given that geographical location questionsare asked (1536 1850)

Example 16

Interaction

1409 [Blotto] GDay SWAMI

1413 [SWAMI] hiya blotto

1493 [SERVER] Wendyxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

1495 [Wendy] hello 1515 [Wendy] hello

1517 [SWAMI] hiya wendy

1522 [Wendy] hi SWAMI

1536 [SWAMI] wendy where r u

1541 [SERVER] Wendy has left this channel

1850 [Blotto] SWAMI Where you from

1855 [SWAMI] Blotto [PlaceName]

Users known to one another most often deploy nick-based or nick-only greetings as illustrated by Devil andbabe in Example 17

Example 17

Interaction

44 [Devil] ldquoOh I got the blues Yeah Ive got the blues Ive got the lsquomy girl rippedout my heart and stomped on in and threw it in the firersquo bluesrdquo

169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(

461 [babe] Devil Devil Devil Devil Devil Devil Devil Devil Devil Devil Devil DevilDevil Devil Devil

465 [Devil] babe

468 [Babe] Devil wassup

478 [Devil] babe Im singing the blues Wazup wit u

We can argue that Devil and babe know each other based on babes highly effusive repetitive and multiple-exclamation-marked greeting of Devil While this is not definitive evidence it is very rare and threatening fora complete stranger to lsquofloodrsquo another user in such a manner (Rintel amp Pittam 1997 519) We will come backto the other strategies in Example 17 shortly but to continue the discussion of salutation choice Examples 16and 17 demonstrate that in an environment in which friends exchange nicks traditional greeting tokens suchas ldquohellordquo appear to act as social distance signals Token use might indicate a recognition of the fact thatseeing anothers nick from the very first meeting does not equate to knowing the other user Indeed given thatnicks are almost the total embodiment of a user on IRC their use without a token in the interaction-initial slotis potentially very threatening strongly invoking an intimacy which may not exist In Example 18 Tablesgreeting of TwoFlour below displays strong orientation to the possible conventions of nick-based greetings forknown users and token-based greetings for unknown users

Example 18

Interaction

197 [SERVER] TwoFlowerxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

199 [TwoFlour] HELLO

202 [Table] Twoflower11

204 [Table] i dont know you

205 [Table] hahahahahahaha

207 [ACTION] Table is silly

212 [TwoFlower] Hi table

TwoFlower produces a token-based greeting (199) Table responds with a nick-only greeting but then revealsthat TwoFlower is unknown (204) Tables laughter (205) and comment (ldquoTable is sillyrdquo (207)) indicate thatTable considers the response to be a trick based on false intimacy (evidence of a convention that nick-onlygreetings are intimate salutation devices) TwoFlowers reply the token-plus-nick ldquohi tablerdquo (212) is alsorevealing Whether TwoFlower is amused by Tables joke or not it is interesting to note that after Tablesjokes TwoFlower like Clown in Example 15 may be unsure as to the ratification of the interaction Likemany of the examples above there has been a collective-individual-individual greeting sequence but Tablesextra turns break the sequence somewhat TwoFlowers final individually addressed greeting (212) functionsas a new initiation with Table requiring more conventional ABAB sequencing responses to lead to anongoing interaction

It should be noted that in Examples 17 and 18 the interactants lsquoadornrsquo their greetings with multipleexclamation marks lsquoAdornmentrsquo is our term for the well-documented use of typographic extension (extraexclamation marks letter extension full upper-case etc) as somewhat analogous to phonetic indications ofexcitement in verbal interaction (Reid 1991 Bechar-Israeli 1996 Werry 1996 Danet Ruedenberg-Wrightand Rosenbaum-Tamari 1998 Doell 1998) Adornment is usually discussed in terms of positive excitement(eg the glee inherent in multiple exclamation marks sometimes also associated with relational intimacy or atleast knowledge) or negative excitement (eg that use of all upper-case is the written analogy to shouting) butthe logs show little evidence that the lack of adornment might indicate the subtle negativity sometimespresented in phonetic information such as the trouble-premonitions implicit in a teary voice (Jefferson 1980Schegloff 1986 133ndash143) Example 17 does however demonstrate one interesting ramification of the linksbetween adornment and negativity Before babes opening Devil was clearly in a negative upset mood (44169) Having seen babes effusive greeting Devil returns a greeting almost as positive through the use ofadornment Devils adornment appears to be a strategic orientation to positivity designed to consolidate theopening Not only is this demonstrative of the lsquoopening liersquo strategy similar to that pointed out by Sacks (thatin certain lsquohow are yoursquo situations ldquoeveryone has to lierdquo rather than immediately burden interlocutors withnegative knowledge and potentially stifle the interaction (1975 69ndash74)) but also that adornment does nothave constant and specific representational force Rather it is better to argue that adornment can be used forstrategic purposes

Adornment is not just an individualistic greeting strategy - greetings must after all function to coordinateinteraction In Examples 17 and 18 the interactants come close to matching each others greetings usingalmost the same number of exclamation marks Matching can be a powerful demonstration of alignment to thedyad establishing both intimacy and ABAB sequencing Example 19 is a particularly good illustration oforthographic and adornment matching

Example 19

Interaction

289 [Hidee] FlatStrapeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

302 [FlatStra] HideeeeePeeeeeeeeee )

Hidee is careful to use the capitalization that FlatStra uses in his nick (the lsquoFrsquo and the lsquoSrsquo) and adds the letterlsquoprsquo converting the name into ldquoFlatStraprdquo a somewhat semantically meaningful addition Hidee also adds arepeated string of the letter lsquoersquo after the lsquoprsquo mimicking two common English phonetic intimacy devicesadding an lsquoeersquolsquoiirsquo or lsquoyrsquo sound to the end of a name to signal intimacy and jokingly extending the vowel in thename to represent calling from a distance FlatStra replies also adding a lsquoprsquo and repeated string of the letter lsquoersquomimicking not only the phonetic devices of the lsquoersquo above but also the combined lsquopersquo unit The addition of anultimate lsquoprsquo also gives ldquoHiDeePrdquo an orthographic matching of ldquoFlatStraprdquo FlatStra adds several lsquoesrsquo abovethe two at the end of the ldquoDeerdquo unit in keeping with Hidees convention of lsquoersquo extension and capitalizes the

lsquoPrsquo of ldquoHIdeeeeePeeeeeeeeeerdquo to produce a mid-name capitalization similar to his own The exclamationmarks and smiling emoticon in FlatStras salutation do not occur in Hidees salutation but in the context ofmatching such small additions are probably not as detrimental as omissions might have been

The exchange above is remarkable in its multilevel matching but is even more remarkable given IRCs writtennature Matching on IRC requires users to work out the orthographic and adornment conventions of asalutation then type and send their matched reply - stretching the already extended chronology of the mediumThe data presented so far demonstrate that users in general display a distinct orientation to the openingbehaviors in other interaction media but this instance seems extreme On the other hand it is not so extremewhen considered from the standpoint of function rather than the oddities of production Coordination andintimacy establishment by matching are factors in keeping with the findings about matched token exchange(Edmondson 1981 83) and address forms (Braun 1998 23ndash25) and the communication accommodationstrategy of convergence for representing liking and ingrouping (Gallois amp Callan 1991 Giles et al 1999)

The conventions of salutation choice and adornment are complicated by the fact that just as on the telephone(or FTF) people may have ldquosignature hellosrdquo (Jeffersons term in Schegloff 1986 123) so too some IRC usershave signature nicktoken choices and adornment level features Example 20 is a complex excerpt in whichiron displays two forms of signature greeting irons greetings are marked in the first column [S] marks asignature greeting element from iron a second [S] andor an [E] marks an additional element [D] represents aminor deviation from standard signature style and [C] represents a complete deviation from signature styleFor the other users [O] marks an element similar to irons signature greeting

Example 20

iron Others Interaction

S 43 [Iron] BLINDD

S 55 [Iron] FLATSTRA

SSE 58 [Iron] FLAtSTRAAAAAAAAAA

74 [SERVER] Wsxedcxxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

89 [BLIND2] iron

92 [SERVER] Wsxedc has left this channel

S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC

S 95 [Iron] BLIND RE DUDE

100 [BLIND2] iron

250 [SERVER] SNOT xxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

260 [SNOT] hi iron what kind of iron are we talking about

SS 274 [Iron] BLINDDDDDDD

280 [BLIND2] iron

C 308 [Iron] Kirsty hello

314 [Kirsty] hi iron

372 [SERVER] floppy xxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

SE 385 [Iron] FLOP-PY FLOPPY

401 [floppy] hi iron


540 [SERVER] FlatStra xxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

SE 575 [Iron] EARTH TO FLATSTRA EARTH TO FLATSTRAA

582 [FlatStra] iron what

613 [SERVER] Flasher xxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

635 [SERVER] Flashers nickname is now bigDduk

648 [SERVER] bigDduks nickname is now Flasher

S 659 [Iron] BIGDDUK

SE 660 [Iron] BIGD DUK

662 [Flasher] hiya iron

O 675 [Wsxedc] BIGD FUK

O 693 [Bubbl_] BIGDFart


735 [SERVER] Banker xxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

S 753 [Iron] BANKER

756 [Banker] hey iron


850 [SERVER] TOMAR xxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

SS 852 [Iron] TOMARRRRRRR

931 [TOMAR] iron

1020 [SERVER] Enemy xxxxxxxxxx has joined this channel

SD 1028 [Iron] ENEMY

1038 [Enemy] Iron Yes

S 1376 [Iron] ACUS

SS 1394 [Iron] LADYYYYYBUGGGGGGGG

1416 [SERVER] Blowhard xxxxxxxxxx has joined thischannel

1417 [Blowhard] Heyt Hey Hey

S 1421 [Iron] BLOWHARD

O 1427 [BLIND2] blow

O 1430 [Blowhard] BLIND

1431 [Blowhard] errrhellip2

O 1432 [BLIND2] hardblow

O 1436 [Blowhard] DNILB P

SE O 1438 [iron] BLINDBLOW

1455 [SERVER] ORC_BOY xxxxxxxxxx has joined thischannel

1461 [ORC_BOY] HELLO ALL

SS 1465 [Iron] ORCBOYYY

Except in the case of Kirsty (308) and SNOT (252) irons 16 greetings have identical formal elements a nick-only exclamation written completely in upper-case In 13 of the 16 greetings iron also uses at least oneexclamation mark (Enemy (1028) SNOT and Kirsty are the exceptions) This basic signature greeting is

1

extended in five instances with a repetition of the ultimate letter of the other users nick (58 274 852 1394and 1465) When greeting FlatStra Floppy and BigDduk (AKA Flasher) iron displays a more exotic form ofsignature greeting performing the salutation twice and in the second salutation extending the nick (FlatStra55 and 58) repeating the other users nick (FlatStra 496 and 575) or repeating the nick and splitting thesyllables (Floppys greeting 378 and 385 BigDduk 659 and 660) Syllable-splitting has an analogue inbarracking or cheering where the split increases vocal power and emphasis for each syllable The repetition ofsyllables stands out against the other utterances so this works well as an attention getting device Iron mayequate this lsquocheeringrsquo style with positivity but it does not seem to result in an increased level of interaction nora closely matched level of addressee positivity

The one major exception to irons use of his signature greeting - basic or exotic - is when he greets Kirsty(ldquoKirsty hellordquo (308)) In so doing iron may be following the convention for greeting unknown usersdiscussed above but iron does not do so in 15 other greetings so why should this be the case here Drawingon some contextual evidence we know that iron appeared in three logs and was frequently granted chanopstatus (Reid 1991) iron was therefore probably a regular and experienced IRC user and would know both thattyping completely in upper-case equates to shouting which is generally discouraged on IRC Further in anearlier part of this log iron stated that ldquoiron needs a girlfriend badlyrdquo In the context of this evidence and ironssignature greeting it is possible that iron employs self-reflexive social logic for this greeting based onorientation to greeting and general IRC conventions The following causal chain appears reasonable to theresearchers although it is not claimed that iron was cognizant of it

Kirsty is the only user that iron can see explicitly presenting as female

2 Greeting leads to ongoing interaction

3 Ongoing interactions are the basis of ongoing relationships

4 Assuming no-one writes to Kirsty about iron Kirsty will have no social context cues to makedecisions about iron except those which iron produces and the first of these will be in thegreeting

5 irons own signature greeting uses full capitalization

6 Full capitalization is often used to signify shouting on IRC

7 irons signature greeting may appear to signify shouting to Kirsty

8 Shouting is threatening

9 By switching from shouting to using a greeting token iron orients to general IRC greetingconventions and minimizes threat

10 By orienting to general IRC greeting conventions and minimizing threat iron may be morelikely to achieve ongoing interaction and hence an ongoing relationship with Kirsty

11 Since Kirsty is presenting as female by achieving an ongoing relationship with Kirsty there isthe potential to fulfill the goal of beginning a romantic relationship

Thus while iron appears to know nothing of Kirsty beyond the fact that Kirsty explicitly presents as femaleldquoKirsty hellordquo is arguably a strategy designed to give iron the best possible chance to interact further This isin explicit opposition to irons more face-threatening greeting of Enemy This Example then provides someevidence that IRC users may have some self-reflexive understanding of openings perhaps facilitated by theslower written nature of the medium (cf Rodino 1998)

Responses to irons greetings when they occur do not completely match irons signature greeting style (89100 280 314 582 662 756 and 931) All responses are nick-only but use lower-case and multipleexclamation marks - the general convention for greeting known users Irons signature shout would beunwelcome in many public channels but it may be acceptable if iron is greeting known users Certainly nouser questions it in the log but the taboo nature of irons signature greeting may result in a weakening of thematching convention for regulars - iron receives primarily lower- or mixed-case responses

That being said on some occasions irons exotic signature greeting results in some interesting take-ups bythird parties Wsxedc seems to parody iron in the separated and capitalized ldquoBIGD FUKrdquo (675) Bubbl_ssimilar repeated utterance ldquoBIGDFartrdquo (693 and 698) is interesting in that Bubbl_ is actually a bot (lsquorobotrsquo - acomputer program that can function like a user) and thus an unidentifiable user is satirizing by remote controlBLIND2s greeting of Blowhard (ldquoblowrdquo (1427)ldquohardblowrdquo 1432) appears inspired by irons exotic signature greeting althoughBLIND2 does not open with iron in such a fashion nor does BLIND2 display any proclivity to such exoticgreetings throughout the rest of the log Blowhard though returns similar - almost matched - greetings toBLIND2 first producing a split nick greeting (1430 and 1431) and then in the absence of syllables torearrange reversing the letters of BLIND2s name ldquoDNILBrdquo (1436)) Oddly enough iron alsoproduces an utterance that has a degree of reversal and syllable splitting but it addresses both BLIND2 andBlowhard ldquoBLINDBLOWrdquo (1438) It is somewhat unclear whether irons utterance is a greeting or not forwhile it is similar to irons exotic signature greetings the reversal system is BLIND2 and Blowhards Itappears that irons exotic signature greeting has affected other users has been transformed by them and thetransformation has been re-assimilated by iron

Conclusion


This study set out to investigate openings in public IRC channels and argue that openings are fundamental tounderstanding the development of relationships on IRC Although openings may occur throughout an IRCsession the openings focussed on in this study were those that occurred when a newly-joined user entered apublic channel This was termed the Channel Entry Phase (CEP) A CEP was defined as starting with themirrored components of an Automated Joining event (AJE) the Joining Confirmation (JC) and the JoiningAnnouncement (JA) The AJE is the first indicator of presence and connection for both newly-joined usersand existing channel members Following the AJE both newly-joined users and existing channel memberswere found to produce initiating actions termed Joining Initial Behaviors (JIBs) and Joining Initial Reactions(JIRs) respectively

The automated nature of the AJE was found to be critical to openings occurring in a users CEP Schegloff(1968 1986) places great importance on the summoning abilities of the automated component of telephoneinteraction Unlike a telephone ring the AJE was found to have few if any inclusionary or exclusionaryconditional relevance factors for determining who could initiate and what they could produce For users thiswas both a blessing and a curse certainly it allowed freedom to initiate with any other user but since the AJEdid not transmit the coordination cues of FTF interaction or telephone summonses it was difficult to knowthat one was seen andor that others cared This appeared to be why users had to work so hard at ratifyingopenings

One of the difficulties of ratification is that public IRC channels are forums more conducive to collectivitythan dyadicy in terms of both joinability and interwoven homogenous typography Users who do not knowothers are required to meet in public channels while friends may move immediately to private interaction Assuch relationship development may well be harder than relationship maintenance IRC has the surface abilityto transmit phatic information but creates problems for the actual social bonding that is at the heart of Lavers(1975 1981) notion of positive phaticity which seems to run contrary to the over-determining and over-accommodating strategies found in openings that do progress to ongoing interactions This was reflected in thefinding that many openings consist of failed one-way initiation attempts or greeting exchanges neither ofwhich were followed up Although users may leave the public channels to interact privately we might askwhy so many existing channel members continually greet newly-joined users Perhaps the time it takes to havereal-time written interaction facilitates constant lsquofishingrsquo for new interlocutors and parallel interactions Futureresearch could investigate how many interactions may be lsquojuggledrsquo in this fashion and how successfulmultitasking users accomplish their parallel interactions

Greetings and salutations common to FTF and telephone interaction were also found to be common to IRC aswas the normative orientation to ABAB sequencing As has been demonstrated consistently in IRC research(Reid 1991 Werry 1996 Danet Ruedenberg-Wright and Rosenbaum-Tamari 1998) the technology of IRCdoes not preclude the adaptation of enough normativity for users to develop relationships although thecommon conflict between initiation and propitiation which results in the failure of so many interactions to getstarted does lead to speculation as to why more obvious adaptations were not found It is unlikely thathumans will change from using ABAB sequencing - even if in parallel interactions - so new norms are likelyto involve transmutations of phatic functions and content Future research might investigate how long it takesto develop new norms and what factors are involved in their development IRC is a discursive arena that couldalmost have been designed for testing new rules which makes the general conservatism of users particularly

interesting Considering the transience found in the logs it may be that IRC is too fragmented a community todevelop anything more than very localized norms Perhaps though future research will find not prescriptiveroutines but new tactics for negotiation from positions of little information

The ambiguity of IRC openings is indicative of the need for communication researchers to be involved withthe production of new media As Newhagen notes ldquoA colleague of mine likened the role of communicationresearch to that of judges at a gymnastics competition where the engineers roll out a new technology and wehold up numbers from 1 to 10 rating it I think we are compelled to take a more active role in the developmentof technology itselfhellip rdquo (Newhagen amp Rafaeli 1996) The AJE is precisely the form of technologicalcomponent for which communications researchers might provide developmental advice That being said thereare divides to be bridged although communication researchers problematize simple transmission orcomputational models for explaining interaction (Edwards 1997 Mey amp Talbot 1989) engineers might arguethat these are useful for building interaction media

In summary users who manage to ratify dyadic interaction on a public IRC channel have accomplished quitea difficult interactional and relational task IRC openings are highly complex and significantly ordered sites ofthe manifest discursive features linking interaction to dyadic interpersonal relationships Opening dyadicinteraction on IRC requires a highly negotiated three-step process of presence recognition initiation andopening ratification In this process verbal phatic token exchange must play the dual role of coordination andthe representation of relationship status Interaction management of these linkages is considerably affected bythe technological structures of interaction but within this framework users can be demonstrably creative infinding recognizing and using opening strategies and occasionally taking up and modifying the openingstrategies of others In dyadic interpersonal relationship development then IRC users may be said to orient toa principle or desire for clearly ordered phaticity the gloss alluded to in our title as lsquofirst things firstrsquo

Acknowledgments


The authors would like to thank Margaret McLaughlin and the two reviewers for their help in revising thispaper

References


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Bechar-Israeli H (1996) From ltBoneheadgt to ltclOnEhEAdgt Nicknames play andidentity on Internet Relay Chat Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 1(2)lthttpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol1issue2becharhtml(httpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol1issue2becharhtml)gt (31 October 1996)

Braun F (1998) Terms of address Problems of patterns and usage in various languages andcultures Contributions to the sociology of language 50 Berlin Mouton de Gruyter

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Buttny R (1998) Putting prior talk into context Reported speech and the reporting contextResearch on Language and Social Interaction 31 45ndash58

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Danet B Ruedenberg-Wright L amp Rosenbaum-Tamari Y (1996) ldquoHmmm hellip wheres thatsmoke coming fromrdquo Writing play and performance on Internet Relay Chat Journal ofComputer-Mediated Communication 2(4)lthttpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol2issue4danethtml(httpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol2issue4danethtml)gt (17 February 1997)

December J (1996) Units of analysis for internet communication Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 1(4) lthttpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol1issue4decemberhtml(httpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol1issue4decemberhtml)gt (17 February 1997)

DeKlerk V amp Bosch B (1999) Nicknames as evidence of verbal playfulness Multilingua 181ndash16

Doell W (1998) The Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Linguistic perspectiveslthttpwww2crosswindsnet~wdoellworkircpaperhtm(httpwww2crosswindsnet~wdoellworkircpaperhtm)gt (6 October 1998)

Douglas W (1994) The acquaintanceship process An examination of uncertainty information

seeking and social attraction during initial conversation Communication Research 21154ndash176

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Edwards D (1997) Discourse and Cognition London Sage

Edmondson W (1981) Spoken discourse A model for analysis Longman linguistics library27 London Longman

Fairclough N (1995) Media Discourse London Edward Arnold

Garcia AC amp Jacobs JB The eyes of the beholder Understanding the turn-taking system inquasi-synchronous computer-mediated communication Research on Language and SocialInteraction 32(4) 337ndash367

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Gallois C amp Callan VJ (1991) Interethnic accommodation The role of norms In HGileset al (eds) Contexts of accommodation Developments in applied sociolinguistics (pp245ndash269) Studies in emotion and social interaction New York NY Cambridge UniversityPress

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Giles H et al (1999) Contemporary nonverbal theories of message exchange InLKGuerrero et al (eds) The nonverbal communication reader Classic andcontemporary readings (pp 425ndash471) 2nd ed Prospect Heights IL Waveland Press

Herring S (1999) Interactional coherence in CMC Journal of Computer-MediatedCommunication 4(4) lthttpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol4issue4herringhtml(httpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol4issue4herringhtml)gt (21 July 1999)

Hopper R amp Drummond K (1992) Accomplishing interpersonal relationship The telephoneopenings of strangers and intimates Western Journal of Communication 56 185ndash199

Jefferson G (1980) On ldquotrouble-premonitionaryrdquo and response to inquiry SociologicalInquiry 50 153ndash185

Direct LinkAbstract (doi101111j1475-682X1980tb00019xabstract)

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Kendon A amp Ferber A (1973) A description of some human greetings In RPMichael ampJHCrook (eds) Comparative ecology and behavior of primates (pp 591ndash668) London Academic Press

Kiesler S Seigel J amp McGuire TW (1984) Social and psychological aspects of computer-

mediated communication American Psychologist 39 1123ndash1134CrossRef (resolvereferenceXREFid=1010370003-066X39101123) Web of Sciencereg

(resolvereferenceISIid=A1984TN99600005)

Krivonos PD amp Knapp ML (1975) Initiating communication What do you say when yousay hello Central States Speech Journal 26 115ndash125

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Laver J (1981) Linguistic routines and politeness in greeting and parting In FCoulmas (ed)Conversational routine Explorations in standardized communication situations andprepatterned speech (pp 289ndash304) The Hague Mouton

Laver J (1975) Communicative functions of phatic communication In AKendon RMHarris amp M RKey (eds) The organization of behavior in face-to-face interaction (pp215ndash238) The Hague Mouton

McLaughlin ML (1987) Conversation How talk is organized Sage series in interpersonalcommunication 3 Beverly Hills CA Sage

Mey JL amp Talbot M (1988) Computation and the soul Rev of Relevance Communicationand cognition by D Sperber amp D Wilson Journal of pragmatics 12 743ndash789

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Newhagen JE amp Rafaeli S (1996) Why communication researchers should study theInternet A dialogue Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 1(4)lthttpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol1issue4rafaelihtml(httpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol1issue4rafaelihtml)gt (17 February 1997)

Paolillo JC (1999) The virtual speech community Social network and language variation onIRC Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 4 (4)lthttpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol4issue4paolillohtml(httpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol4issue4paolillohtml)gt (21 July 1999)

Pomerantz A (1984) Pursuing a response In J MAtkinson amp JHeritage (eds) Structures ofsocial action Studies in Emotion and Social Interaction Cambridge UK CambridgeUniversity Press

Psathas G (1995) Conversation analysis The study of talk-in-interaction Vol 35 ofQualitative research methods 35 vols Thousand Oaks CA Sage

Reed D amp Ashmore M (2000) The naturally-occurring chat machine MC A Journal ofMedia and Culture 3(4) lthttpwwwapi-networkcommc0008machinehtml(httpwwwapi-networkcommc0008machinehtml)gt (23 August 2000)


Reid E (1991) Electropolis Communications and community on Internet Relay ChatUnpublished honours thesis University of Melbourne Australia lthttpwwwcrosswindsnet~alulueielectropolishtm

(httpwwwcrosswindsnet~alulueielectropolishtm)gt (8 September 1995)

Rintel ES amp Pittam J (1997) Strangers in a strange land Interaction management onInternet Relay Chat Human Communication Research 23 507ndash534

Direct LinkAbstract (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xabstract)

PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)

References (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xreferences)

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Rodino M (1997) Breaking out of binaries Reconceptualizing gender and its relationship tolanguage in computer-mediated communication Journal of Computer-MediatedCommunication 3(3) lthttpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol3issue3rodinohtml(httpwwwascuscorgjcmcvol3issue3rodinohtml)gt (30 August 1998)

Sacks H (1992) Lectures on conversation 2 vols GJefferson (Ed) Oxford Blackwell

Sacks H (1975) Everyone has to lie In M Sanches amp B GBlount (eds) Socioculturaldimensions of language use (pp 57ndash79) Language thought and culture New York Academic Press

Sacks H Schegloff EA amp Jefferson G (1974) A simplest systematics for the organisation ofturn-taking for conversation Language 50 696ndash735

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Scanell P (1998) Media - Language - World In ABell and PGarrett (eds) Approaches tomedia discourse (pp 251ndash267) Oxford Blackwell

Schegloff E (1986) The Routine as achievement Human Studies 9 111ndash151CrossRef (resolvereferenceXREFid=101007BF00148124) Web of Sciencereg

(resolvereferenceISIid=A1986D912000002)

Schegloff E (1979) Identification and recognition in telephone conversation openings InGPsathas (Ed) Everyday language Studies in ethnomethodology (pp 23ndash78) New York Halsted (Irvington)

Schegloff E (1968) Sequencing in conversational openings American Anthropologist 701075ndash1095

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Schiffrin D (1977) Opening encounters American Sociological Review 42 679ndash691CrossRef (resolvereferenceXREFid=1023072094858) Web of Sciencereg

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Tannen D (1990) You just dont understand Women and men in conversation New York Ballantine

Tracy K (1995) Action-implicative discourse analysis Journal of Language and SocialPsychology 14 195ndash215

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Vincent C (1992) Collegiality in cyberspace Case studies in computer mediatedcommunication Unpublished masters thesis University of Tasmania Australia lthttpwwwuqeduau~ensrinteworkircacademicvincent-c-collegiality-1992doc(httpwwwuqeduau~ensrinteworkircacademicvincent-c-collegiality-1992doc)gt (31August 2000)

Walther JB Anderson JF amp Park DW (1994) Interpersonal effects in computer-mediatedinteraction A meta-analysis of social and antisocial communication CommunicationResearch 21 460ndash487

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Wood LA amp Kroger RO (2000) Doing discourse analysis Thousand Oaks Sage

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E Sean Rintel (advancedsearchresultssearchRowCriteria[0]queryString=E SeanRintelampsearchRowCriteria[0]fieldName=authorampstart=1ampresultsPerPage=20)Joan Mulholland (advancedsearchresultssearchRowCriteria[0]queryString=JoanMulhollandampsearchRowCriteria[0]fieldName=authorampstart=1ampresultsPerPage=20)Jeffery Pittam (advancedsearchresultssearchRowCriteria[0]queryString=JefferyPittamampsearchRowCriteria[0]fieldName=authorampstart=1ampresultsPerPage=20)All Authors (advancedsearchresultssearchRowCriteria[0]queryString=E Sean Rintel JoanMulholland Jeffery PittamampsearchRowCriteria[0]fieldName=authorampstart=1ampresultsPerPage=20)

Address Communication Department University at Albany State University of New York Albany NYUSA 12222 Telephone +1-528-442-4871 Fax +1-528-442-3884 Email er8430albanyedu(mailtoer8430albanyedu)Address Department of English The University of Queensland Brisbane Australia 4072 Telephone +61-7-3365-2167 Fax +61-7-3365-2799 Email jmulhollandmailboxuqeduau(mailtojmulhollandmailboxuqeduau)Address Department of English The University of Queensland Brisbane Australia 4072 Telephone +61-7-3365-1445 Fax +61-7-3365-2799 Email jpittammailboxuqeduau(mailtojpittammailboxuqeduau)

Publication History

1 Issue published online 23 JUN 20062 Article first published online 23 JUN 2006

Abstract (doi101111j1083-61012001tb00125xabstract)ArticleReferences (doi101111j1083-61012001tb00125xreferences)Cited By (doi101111j1083-61012001tb00125xcitedby)

Abstract1 Top of page2 Abstract3 Introduction4 Previous research on IRC openings5 Data and Methodology6 Analysis7 Conclusion8 Acknowledgments9 References

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was the Internets first widely popular quasi-synchronous computer-mediatedcommunication (CMC) system While research has consistently demonstrated the interpersonal nature ofIRC and is now turning to more structurally-oriented topics it is argued that IRC research now needs tosystematically address links between interaction structures technological mediation and the instantiationand development of interpersonal relationships within a framework that privileges IRC interaction andsocial explanations This exploration of the openings of IRC interactions is positioned as a step in thatdirection The openings investigated in the study are those that occur directly following users entries intopublic IRC channels termed the newly-joined users Channel Entry Phase (CEP) It is found that turncoordination in the CEP is often ambiguous has the potential to disrupt relationship development andleads to considerable emphasis on interactive strategies for the clear ordering of opening phases

Introduction




1

























Analysis



Example 1










































































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

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Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Introduction




1

























Analysis



Example 1










































































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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1

























Analysis



Example 1










































































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Analysis



Example 1










































































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Analysis



Example 1










































































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content




















Analysis



Example 1










































































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content



















Analysis



Example 1










































































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content













Analysis



Example 1










































































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content









Analysis



Example 1










































































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content





Analysis



Example 1










































































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content







































































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content















































Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content






















Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content





Example 2









Example 3







Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content






Example 4










1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content




1








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content








Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content







Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content






Example 5

Event Interaction





Example 6

Event Interaction






STOP 321 [FAR] B0100000027fed4





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content





Example 7

Event Interaction







Example 8

Event Interaction





Example 9

Event Interaction





Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content




Example 10

Event Interaction






Example 11

Event Interaction






Example 12

Event Interaction
















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content

















Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content








Example 13

Event Interaction








Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content









Example 14

Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Event Interaction








Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content






Example 15

Interaction






2099 [Clown] Hello












Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content








Example 16

Interaction












Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content















Example 17

Interaction


169 [Devil] ˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜˜(


465 [Devil] babe




Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content





Example 18

Interaction











Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content






Example 19

Interaction







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content







Example 20


S 43 [Iron] BLINDD




89 [BLIND2] iron


S 93 [Iron] WSXEDC


100 [BLIND2] iron


SD 252 [Iron] SNOT

SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content




SD 252 [Iron] SNOT



280 [BLIND2] iron




S 378 [Iron] FLOPPY

















S 753 [Iron] BANKER





931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content







931 [TOMAR] iron




S 1376 [Iron] ACUS















1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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1

















Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content













Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content











Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














Find more content










Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














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Conclusion









Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














PDF(1794K) (doi101525aa196870602a00030pdf)














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Acknowledgments



References



















































PDF(1642K) (doi101111j1468-29581997tb00408xpdf)














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Acknowledgments



References



















































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